The newly released Social Mobility Index ranked Southern Illinois University Edwardsville 70th among 539 top schools in the U.S. The ranking acknowledges schools for increasing access to higher education and producing graduates poised to make a positive impact in their communities.
“The Social Mobility Index ranking demonstrates that SIUE is focused on creating affordable, student-centered education for citizens around the world,” said Julie Furst-Bowe, SIUE chancellor.
SIUE’s tuition and required fees are among the lowest of all four-year institutions in Illinois, and student salaries post-graduation average approximately $45,000.
“Consistent with our mission and vision, SIUE is taking the incentive to bring in students from all economic and social backgrounds, and providing them with a quality educational experience,” added Furst-Bowe.
The Social Mobility Index rankings are determined by a calculation that figures in the following institutional categories: school tuition cost, percentage of low income students, graduation rate, median early career salaries of graduates and endowment.
Essentially, the study determines how much students are paying in tuition at an institution, what percentage of those students are graduating and how much money they are making after graduation.
The study is conducted to assist institutions in their efforts toward closing the gap of economic divergence that is currently a trend in the U.S. By sharing these rankings with universities, Social Mobility Index hopes to encourage schools to shift policies toward making higher education more affordable to all U.S. citizens – particularly economically disadvantaged students and families.